Labor leaders question removing some Gary school unions

A decision by the Gary Community School Corp.'s emergency manager to withdraw from or not recognize unions that represent some workers in the cash-strapped district was met with skepticism and criticism from area labor leaders, some of whom called it a move toward union busting.

State-appointed emergency manager Peggy Hinckley recently announced that the district would withdraw from a contract with custodians in Service Employees International Union Local 73 and outsource that work with Alpha Building Maintenance, of Homer Glen, Ill., a move that she said would save the district more than $900,000.

Hinckley said the custodians can apply for their jobs with Alpha.

Hinckley also said secretaries would have to reapply for their jobs and she would no longer recognize their union. She said secretaries who are retained must be proficient in technology and complained that some employees didn’t attend required training sessions.

Hinckley was installed as emergency manager with orders to right-size staff and buildings to be in line with enrollment after the district ran up a monthly deficit of more than $18 million.

Area union leaders contacted doubted that outsourcing would result in much of a savings, however.

"I think it's just a union-busting tactic," said Cassandra Stigger, organizer and staff rep for American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 962 in Gary.

"I don't believe this will save the district $900,000. You have to pay someone. The first year contract (with Alpha) may be low, but it will go up," she said.

Stigger said custodians earn about $14 to $15 an hour.

"They won't be able to pay someone $8 an hour to clean schools," Stigger said.

Ted Bilski, president of Teamsters Local 142 in Gary, also questioned the savings claim.

"When you contract work out, no contract agency will work for you and make no money," Bilski said. "There is no way a for-profit company can compete with a nonprofit organization."

Bilski said the Gary School Corp. has a number of unique issues leading to its financial problems, including the tax caps, which result in the city having a lesser assessed valuation than Schererville, which has only about 30,000 residents.

He said he doesn't know what other action Hinckley has taken to pare down the deficit, but said everyone tends to look at the cost of labor as the problem, to his displeasure.

"In reality, how much money is actually saved," he asked.

GlenEva Dunham, president of the Gary Teachers Union, spoke up for the secretaries, saying Hinckley is making them reapply for their jobs and isn't recognizing their union because the emergency manager doesn't want to have to rehire based on seniority.

"It's all about money," Dunham said.

Stigger said making the secretaries reapply for their job is another union-busting tactic.

Stigger also pointed out that some of the people who would lose their jobs live in Gary and send their children to the school district.

"Now you would have laid off taxpayers," she said.

Dunham said she hopes the SEIU will exhaust all its means to help its union workers in the school district and suggested the secretaries hold tight for now